Racket for cames and the manufacture thereof



Sept.13 ,-1932. R.J.NASI -l' ,877,018

RAcKsT FOR GAMES .AND THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF? Fi led'Nov. 25. 1929 v 3 Shets-Sheet 2 Sept. 13, 1932. R J. NASH 1 1,877,018

RACKET FOR GAMES AND THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF Filed Nov. 25, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 my. 1:

Patented Sept. 13, 1932 P TENT OFFICE .BOBERT JOHN NASH, OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND RACKE'I FOR GAMES AND THE MANUFACTURE TH EREOF Application filed. November 25, 1929, Serial No. 109,491, and in Great .Britainlebruary 4,- 1929;

It is well knowntoconstruct the head or bow of a wooden racket frame by bending one or more strips of ash, or other suitable wood, of appropriate length into a circular, or elliptical shape, and then by reversing the bends in the neck part continuing the ends of the strip in more or less parallel formation to form, or take part in forming, a handle. The frame is usually completed by securing a suitable wedge piece or bridge piece in the throat of the neck of the bow.

In order to avoid some of the stress in the material from which the frame is constructed frames are sometimes constructed with multiplebent strips assembled andglued together along their bent faces. While bending stresses are considerably reduced by this method, it is difficult to ensure glued joints 7 of adequate tenacity, as in practice uniform pressures cannot be obtained between curved surfaces which have been formed by bend-' ing; furthermore, the tendency of bent wood to revert to its original form cannot be entirely eliminated, even with the most prolonged seasoning.

This difliculty in gluing curved joints also applies to the fixingof the wedge member used to join theopposite sides of the frame together, and the springing of these joints in use is one of the common causes of failure with tennis and like rackets constructed on this principle. a

Furthermore, the necessity for using a piece of high quality timber with parallel grain running lengthwise of the piece ofthe or strips of wood forming the head or bow, which will preferably be terminated where Y 50 the junction with the handle is to be made, are

shaved off at sides of the extremities at in- 'clines so as to present flat faces, and the junction with the handle portion, which is of compound strip form, ismade by a successlon of overlapping wooden strips all lying on fiat surfaces where joints have to be made and all tapering to a feather edge at the parts where any edge is exposed on a joint.

The invention further may consist in removing the front and back surfaces of, and so tapering the extremities of, the head or bow where any inherent strain in'those parts due to previous bending operations would'operate to produce weakness in the complete frame, and in replacing such portions by straight unbent wood overlapping the tapered down extremities of the bow.

The foundation idea of the invention therefore is the use for the greater part of the shoulders and neck of a racket, where the junction with the handle is made, of unbent wood assembled in pieces so that the grain is directed in the most effective manner to resist the strains and stresses to which the frame is subjected in use, and so that the glued joints between the component pieces will always be made between flat surfaces.

In order that the invention may be thoroughly understood 1 have appended hereunto drawings illustrating the method of manufacture as appliedto one example of a racket frame.

Figure 1, illustrates in front and side elevation a bow frame with wedge which forms the first component.

Figure 2, shows the shoulder overlay in similar views.

Figure 8, similarly illustrates the wedge overlay which is used to form the handle splice.

Figure 4, illustrates in front and side elevation, the wedge overlay shown in Fig. 3,

secured to a handle piece. I

Figure 5, shows this handle and wedge overlay unit faced 0E ready forassembling with the other components.

Figure 6, shows the first operation on the component shown in Figure 1. j

Figure 7 shows the second operation,

the bow frame which may be madein -thefirst component.

,. The bow frame a, in this example, is made" d substantially on ordinary lines from a strip of .ash of rectangular cross-section bent .to the desired shape with a piece of wood Z, glued into the throat and preferably with a U-shaped bent stripe inside the bottom of the how. he bow, instead of being made from a strip long enough to form the handle, is made from a shorter strip terminating at the throat as shownin Figure 1. This how frame (/1 isthe first component and in the first operation, Figure 6, it is shaved down on one face over the shoulder, wedge b and neck to form a smooth, plane, inclined surface. The second component, Figure 2, comprises a Y-shaped w flat shoulder overlay cl. It may conveniently be made by two parts joined down the centre of the stem of the Y, or shown in dotted lines.

The branches of this Y-shaped overlay are appropriately'curved in the fork to conform with the ends of the bow when the stem is in the direction of the handle. Two of these.

components are employed. In the second operation, Figure 7, this shoulder overlay ml is glued securely on the-inclined surface on the shoulder of the bow frame a. The racket frame is then reversed and the other or reverse face of the bowframe together with the inner .end of the one shoulder over- 455 12113 d is correspondingly shaved down and on the plane inclined face, so formed, the This 9. The wedge overlay e is a piece of wood 7 suitable for forming part of the handle; it is preferably about three inches wide and is reversely tapered below the middle portion as at g for joining up with the main handle part in a subsequent operation. I secure this wedge overlay e on the prepared face of one of the shoulder. overlays d on theframe a forming the fifth operation shown in Figure 6541,] 7

The next operation, the sixth, Figure 11, comprises the shaving off of the opposite side of the frame a with its shoulder overlay d to receive the second wedge overlay e and handle 72,.

The second wedge overlay is made exactly as the first, Figure 3, but before assembly in the racket it is preferably (but not essentially) secured to the handle unit it as in Figures 4 and 5. The handle portion h is ofwoodsuitable for the main part of the handle and is tapered on one face at one end. The second wedge overlay e is secured to the tapered face and the opposite face of the handle is faced to form a smootheven plane with the upper face f of the overlay 6. This handle unit complete'with the sec. ond wedge is next glued'on the inclined face of the racket frame. prepared in the sixth operation. a, This. forms the seventh operation shown in Figure 12. p

The eighth, and last, operation, as far as the invention is concerned, is the machining of the now completely constructed rough racket frame down ready for the handle slips.

The shoulders are shaved down oneach face of the racket to conform approximately with the plane of the bow frame and the handle-sides are tapered, preferably from about the middle of the wedge overlays as" shown in Figure 13.

The completion-of the handle by the usual fillets or slips to give the desired shape, and I the shapingof the exterior of the throat and frameqand thefinishing of the latter may follow-on any suitable lines accordingto:

the ultimate finish a and form required.

It;may be desirable to avoid the reverse bendingof the ends of the bow frame 0, even when this is made from a short strip only andshaveddown to obviatethe bad effects of the bending in the jointing processes. ,I have shown in Figure let-and 16-alternative forms .ofubow frame constructions; suitable. for forming the first component or Fbla-nk for the-subsequent operations.

In Figure 14 the ends of the-pframeare brought faceto faceand'the bottom angle of the frame is approximately a right: angle in which a triangular wedge Z) is fitted.

In. Figure 15, there is no reversebending of the-frame strip-but the ends are shaped I to complete the oval. Nowedge is inserted but two U reinforcing strips 0 and are employed.

In Figure 16 an ordinary bend of frame is employed but. the wedge has an integral I curved reinforcing piece on the inside so that parts I) and 0 of Figure 1 are combined.

These modifications would necessitate slight modificationsin the shape of the overlyingparts which are to finish the frame and build up the handle, but thestructure and. method of manufactureis unaltered.

I claim 1. An improved racket for games in which the faces of the lower part of the bow frame are each shaved off at an inclination to leave a flat inclined face terminating at or near the throat, and the junction with the handle is made by a double inclined overlay member secured to the frame and to the handle, all the joints being made on fiat faces all of which taper to feather edges where an edge is exposed at a joint. 7 v

2. An improved racket for games comprising in combination a bow frame to carry the interlaced striking face, which bow frame has its shoulder part, where the junction with the handle is made, shaved down to form an incline on each face terminating at or near the throat, a separately formed handle portion, a

pair of shoulder overlay members for overlying and securing on the inclined faces of the shoulder, a pair of doubly inclined wedge Q overlay members one face of each of which is secured on a shoulder overlay and the other lnclmed face of which is secured on an 1nclined face on a handle piece.

3. .An improved racket for games comprising in combination a bow frame with a wedge piece between the extremities, said frame being shaved down on each face, including said Wedge piece, to form inclined faces, which terminate at or near the throat of the racket, a pair of Y-shaped overlay members secured upon the said inclined faces, said overlay members being shaved down to form inclined faces upon which the upper inclined faces of a pair of double inclined or wedge overlay members are secured, and a separately formed handle member to which the lower inclined faces of the wedge overlays are secured. I

4:. An improved racket frame comprising in combination a suitable bow frame the faces of the lower part of which are shaved oif to form even inclined plane surfaces which terminate at the throat of the racket, a shoulder overlays secured on said surfaces and tapered olf to feather edges at their ends, double wedge overlays secured thereon and on inclined faces of a handle member.

5. An improved racket comprising in combination, a bow frame to carry the usual interlaced striking face and a handle; tapered faces on the shoulder part at the bottom of said frame which frame terminates at the throat of the racket, shoulder overlays secured thereon, said overlays being of approximately Y-shape and being comprised of two components secured together with the grain oppositely disposed, doubly inclined wedge overlays secured on prepared inclined faces on the outsides of said shoulder overlays, said wedge overlays having inclined faces for joining on smooth inclined faces on said handle.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT JOHN NASH. 

